Door-latch.



T. BALFOUR.

DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.17, 1910.

Patented June 2, 19%

WKTNESSES;

H M D H T THOMAS BALFDUR, 0F ONGA ONGA, HAW'KES BAY, NET/V ZEALANID.

DOOR-LATCH.

a sence.

Application filed February 17, 1910.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS Banroun, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Onga Onga, Hawkes Bay, New Zea land, have invented a new and useful Tmprovement in Door-Latches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to a latch that has been designed specially for use on cupboard doors and drawers, but which may be also employed for other classes of doors.

The construction of latch devised provides for its hasp being free from engagement with the door way fixture by merely pulling on its handle so that the operation of unlocking the door and opening it will be performed by the one pull.

The latch is constructed with a hasp extending in through a slot in the door and pivotally supported therein so as to be free to turn up and down. The inner end projects beyond the doors surface and is formed with a hook or pawl end that is adapted to engage with a fixture of suitable design upon the door frame, or other convenient part. This end is kept normally pressed down by means of a spring which will permit of it rising as the door is shut so that its hook will slide over the fixture and then drop behind it and thereby latch the door.

For operating the latch to unfasten it, the outer end of the hasp is caused to project beyond the outer face of the door and is formed as a lever adapted to be depressed by the movement of a pivoted door handle as such handle is grasped and pulled on to open the door. The pivoted handle is provided with an eccentric cam extension which bears on the hasp end and is So disposed that when the handle is pulled, it will turn on its pivot and cause the cam to depress the outer end of the hasp and thus raise the inner end in the required manner. When the handle is released, the spring will cause the parts to assume their normal position again.

The lock may be used in other positions than the one illustrated without departing from the principle of its construction and operation.

lln the accompanying drawings :-l3igure 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a sectional side elevation of one form of the latch.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Serial No. 544,511.

a is the hasp which is formed as shown in the drawings, of a plate of metal with a hook or pawl Z) on its inner end. This hasp is pivoted at the point 0 within a bearing (5 formed in the face plate 6 so that when such face plate is secured to the surface of the door, the hasp will extend at right angles through the opening made in such door. The pivot pin 0 is so disposed that the hook or pawl 7) will project beyond the inside of the door, while the outer end of the hasp will project as a lever 9 beyond the outside surface of the plate 6.

A spring it bears upon the upper edge of the hook end of the hasp so as to keep it normally pressed downward, in order that when the door is closed against a shelf j, or other fixture, the hook will slide into adepression is formed in its surface and thereby latch the door thereto. The hook is adapted to be raised clear from engagement w'th this depression, by depressing the outer, or lever, end g of the hasp. This is effected by means of a pivoted handle on attached to the plate 6 and having a cam piece 71 attached thereto. This cam piece, when the handle is in the pendent position shown in full lines in the drawings, is adapted to lie clear of the lever 9. When the handle is turned out to the horizontal position, the cam piece engages with the top of the lever end and presses it down so as to unfasten the latch, as shown by dotted lines in 2. When the handle is released, the spring 7t will cause the several parts to resume their normal positions. It will thus be apparent that the action of drawing on the handle to open the door will first disengage the latch and then pull the door open.

-What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In door latches, the combination of a door having a hole therein, a face plate on said door and surrounding said hole and having inwardly projectingspaced bearing members, a hasp pivoted between said bearing members and extending through the hole and face plate and projecting at both ends, a hook or pawl on its inner end, the part adjacent to said inner end being adapted to rest on the lower wall of said hole when the hasp is free, a projecting spring secured to the upper wall of said hole and pressing on the hasp, a fixture having a depression adapted to receive said hook, a

pair of spaced ears on said face plate above handle moving in the same plane of move- 10 the outer end of the hasp, a handle pivoted ment as the hasp.

between said ears and normally resting fiat In testimony whereof, I have signed this against said face plate and straddling the specification in the presence of two subend of the hasp and provided with an in scribing Witnesses.

\vardly projecting cam piece at its upper THOMAS BALFOUR. end and adapted to be drawn horizontally Vitnesses:

and to cause the cam piece to engage and V. ALEXANDER,

depress the projecting end of the hasp, the M. E. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

